Learn to read Irish
A short, active path into reading Irish: sound out eight real words before the alphabet, learn to undo séimhiú and urú on sight, put the verb at the front of the sentence, and read a story whose pronunciation and English begin hidden.
A new reading: try it before revealing the help
- This time the pronunciation and the English begin hidden.
- Aim for the scene, not a perfect translation.
- Six new words are given first; everything else has appeared earlier.
Six new words; everything else has appeared before
| English | Irish | Said |
|---|---|---|
| big | mór | mohr |
| yellow | buí | bwee |
| sad | brónach | BROH-nukh |
| one day | lá amháin | law uh-WAWN |
| come! — an order | Tar | tar |
| with me | liom | lum |
Describing words follow their noun: éan beag buí is bird-small-yellow. The past verbs are the list of eight, plus thit — tit softened. And liom is a welded word like orm: the “me” is inside it.
The bird and the fox
Read each line aloud, say what happened, then reveal. Stuck? First word is the action, then who, then to what.
- Fadó, fadó, bhí éan beag buí i gcrann mór sa choill.
long ago · was · a bird · in a tree · in the forest
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Fadó, fadó, bhí éan beag buí i gcrann mór sa choill.fuh-DOH, fuh-DOH, vee AYN byohg bwee ih GRAN mohr suh KHWIL“Once upon a time there was a small yellow bird in a big tree in the forest.” - Lá amháin tháinig an ghaoth. Thit an crann mór.
Two past verbs, each sentence-first.
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Lá amháin tháinig an ghaoth. Thit an crann mór.law uh-WAWN HAW-nig un GHEE. hitch un kran mohr“One day the wind came. The big tree fell.” - Bhí an t-éan brónach. Chonaic Dara an sionnach é.
The fox does the seeing.
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Bhí an t-éan brónach. Chonaic Dara an sionnach é.vee un TCHAYN BROH-nukh. KHUN-ik DAR-uh un SHUN-ukh ay“The bird was sad. Dara the fox saw him.” - “Cén fáth a bhfuil tú brónach?” a d’fhiafraigh sé.
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“Cén fáth a bhfuil tú brónach?” a d’fhiafraigh sé.“kayn faw uh wil too BROH-nukh?” uh JEE-uh-free shay““Why are you sad?” he asked.” - “Thit mo chrann,” arsa an t-éan.
Two h’s to delete: verb and noun.
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“Thit mo chrann,” arsa an t-éan.“hitch muh KHRAN,” AR-suh un TCHAYN““My tree fell,” said the bird.” - “Tar liom,” arsa Dara. “Tá mo theach beag, ach is teach maith é.”
Both verbs for “is”, doing their two jobs.
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“Tar liom,” arsa Dara. “Tá mo theach beag, ach is teach maith é.”“tar lum,” AR-suh DAR-uh. “taw muh hakh byohg, okh iss tchakh mah ay”““Come with me,” said Dara. “My house is small, but it is a good house.”” - Is cara maith é cara beag.
A proverb, so the labelling verb comes first.
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Is cara maith é cara beag.iss KAR-uh mah ay KAR-uh byohg“A small friend is a good friend.” Word for word: is friend good it, friend small.